My apologies to those who reviewed the last chapter but didn't get a reply, I've been busy preparing to go back to Uni and didn't get round to responding to the reviews, so sorry that you guys didn't get an individual reply, but thank you very much for your feedback, it is always much appreciated as you know :)

Anyway, we have a different perspective for this chapter - we're going to see how things are getting on with Camelot, Morgana and Morgause. It's a slightly shorter chapter than usual and I don't think it's my best as I struggled with it a little, but I hope you enjoy it :) it's set two days after the last chapter.

Chapter Fourteen

Second Chances

Even as Morgana walked through the hallways she could hear the shouts of her people, and occasionally the screams. She knew what was happening, she had watched it from her chamber window. Peasants were surging forwards towards the now shut gates of Camelot's castle, demanding that those living within its walls to leave. They did not accept their new rulers, and they did not like the way their Queens had come to rule. There had been no bloody battlefield or peaceful transition from father to son, only darkness of the night and then chaos. Most peasants didn't realise what was happening until the next morning when the rumours spread and then an announcement was made: Uther Pendragon was no longer King. Long live Queen Morgana and Morgause.

Sometimes the peasants came too close to breaking through the gates and storming the castle so the watching guards rained arrows down on top of them or armed soldiers charged through the crowds on horseback, threatening to cut them down where they stood. It drove many people back and there was quiet for a time after their screams of fear, but then they surged forward again. They were like a disease that refused to be cured. What made it worse was the lack of soldiers to contain the crowds, many of Uther's men had refused to support the new rulers and some had even joined the thronging people below, so Cenred's soldiers who had helped them take the castle now had to protect it.

There was no denying it, the people of Camelot were out of control. It had been bad when Morgana and Morgause had first arrived after their encounter with Merlin and Arthur in the cave, but that morning, two days after their return, rumours spread that a Knight of Camelot had passed through the borders telling everyone who would listen that the Prince was alive and returning to take his crown, and after things very quickly grew worse. It seemed the peasants were either swarming to the gates or fleeing their homes, disappearing into the wilderness along with the Knight who had first spread the news.

Cenred was originally to blame for the unruly people. He had been left in charge while Morgause and Morgana were away from Camelot but had done nothing to keep the people calm. It was part of their agreement: he would give them soldiers to help them take the Kingdom, and in return they would give him some powers over Camelot including control of the army and a position of regency if needed. Of course they had no intention of letting him keep these powers, but once they returned to find chaos in the Kingdom and that arrogant man slouching on the throne doing nothing, Morgause quickly lost her temper and his end came quicker than planned. His head would soon be on the spike next to Sir Twyllo's, a thug Morgause and Morgana had paid to attempt to assassinate Arthur in the hope that this would reveal Arthur's curse to the King and the people of Camelot. Twyllo had begged them for help when the King had arrested him and ordered him to be executed for treason, but the afternoon after Arthur's disappearance he was lead to the chopping block and there was no one to save his neck.

While these thoughts were going through her head Morgana had made her way from her chamber to the Great Hall, the door was open ajar and she walked in to find Morgause pouring over some maps, at the same table she had once ate her meals with King Uther. The noise from outside was slightly dimmer in the Hall. Her sister looked up when she came in.

"You should be resting!" Morgause said quickly, abandoning her papers and hurrying over to Morgana.

"I'm fine, it is healing well," Morgana assured her, glancing down at her arm which was in a sling to support her injured shoulder.

Gaius had checked over Morgana's shoulder and confirmed that it was not broken, just badly bruised. Those were the only words he had said to her as Morgause watched the old physician tend to her shoulder. He never looked up at Morgana's face, and it broke her heart a little. Gaius had been in Camelot since she could remember and he was always willing to help her in any way, but now he couldn't even look into her eyes. She knew why, he was sad, angry and disappointed in her that she had chased his nephew away and taken over the Kingdom with her sister. His treatment towards her made Morgana feel the same emotions herself - sad that she had lost another friend, angry that a lowly peasant would treat a Queen with disdain, and also a little disappointed in herself that she had caused this. To make matters worse Gaius was now in the dungeons after he had been caught helping injured peasants, only kept alive because even High Priestesses could fall ill, and it left Morgana even more conflicted.

For the past two days Morgana had spent most of her time lying in bed letting her shoulder recover or staring through her window at the chaos beneath her. It had given her plenty of time to think about what had happened and the people she had betrayed. When she heard that morning that Gaius had been imprisoned it was the last straw for her, so she made a decision to talk over things with her sister.

"I wanted to know how things were going," Morgana said, trying to push the thoughts about Gaius to the back of her mind for a moment. She hadn't been to see him in the dungeons yet, she couldn't bear to see how he would look at her. The King was also down there and she certainly couldn't look at his face.

"As well as things can in such situations," Morgause admitted with a sigh, glancing at the parchments spread out over the table. "Rumours about Arthur being alive have made things worse as you know, but as soon as we get some confirmation of this death it is sure to crush any hope these peasants have left and they can realise that their lives will be much better if they accepted our rule."

"What are your plans for ending these rumours?" Morgana asked, already knowing the answer.

Morgause had clearly thought this through many times as she didn't even hesitate when she spoke. "The sooner Arthur Pendragon dies the better. The curse is working slower than we planned and if it does not kill him soon then I will have to finish the job for it. If any of his friend try to stop me than they shall pay a heavy price."

Morgana nodded but bit her lip, Morgause could see the doubt in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Well," Morgana wasn't sure what to say, she didn't want to ruin her sister's plans or make her angry, but she couldn't stay silent. "I was thinking...I was hoping, that perhaps instead of killing Arthur and his friends...we could...bring them back to Camelot instead?" She asked tentatively.

Morgause was certainly surprised, but she wasn't angry. "Why do you ask that?" She said.

Morgana shrugged uncomfortably, but Morgause could tell what her sister was thinking.

"It's about what they said to you in the cave isn't it? They've given you doubt."

Morgana hesitated, then nodded. Morgause didn't respond at first, instead she gestured her sister over to a chair, insisting that she sat. Morgana did so, and Morgause drew up a chair so that they sat opposite one another.

"Tell me what is on your mind sister," Morgause said calmly. Morgana felt so fortunate that she had a sister who was so understanding and would listen to her worries, Uther would do no such thing, but Morgana knew she was about to ask her sister for a big favour.

"It's just...all this time I thought they would hate me for who I am, but when I revealed my magic in that cave they...they said they would have accepted me and still cared for me if I had told them." Morgana explained.

"They may well have been lying to save themselves from our wrath," Morgause pointed out.

But Morgana shook her head, "I know them, especially Arthur and Gwen, I can tell when they are lying to me, and I could see the truth in their eyes."

"And Merlin?"

Morgana sighed, her thoughts about Merlin confused her greatly. "He has lied to me in the past, lied to us all, when I first realised I might have magic I went to him and begged for help and he turned me away, he made me seek help from strangers instead. We both should be enemies of Pendragon but he poisoned me and let me feel so alone and afraid. But I can understand why he had to keep his secret as I was forced to and I cannot forget that we were friends once. I was friends with all of them and now we have Camelot under our control I...I want to give them a second chance."

Morgause leaned back in her chair and stared down at the floor. Morgana was worried that she had made her sister angry, they put so much work into that curse and risked their lives going to that cave and now she wanted to give these people a second chance. But when Morgause spoke her voice was still calm. "We have driven them far from Camelot Morgana, and I fear even further from our own side, but I understand why you want to give them a second chance, they were your friends as you say. However I cannot see how we can do such a thing, Camelot is not yet completely under our control and they would not want to ally with us."

"But if we bring them back to Camelot, we can allow them to see that they do not have to live as outcasts." Morgana explained, "and if Arthur publically accepts our rule it will stop the people rebelling once and for all. We might have to force him to say those words but if he stands on the balcony and states we are the rightful rulers it will make the people realise that they can never have their Pendragon rulers back. And we can tell the others that they have a chance to live in peace with us," Morgana said, feeling more and more confident as she spoke, "if they do not accept our offer we can do as we wish as they will now be in our Kingdom, but if they agree that we are the new rulers they will be welcome to stay in Camelot and live without fear." She thought especially about Gwen as she said this, she believed out of all of them Gwen would be the most willing to accept her as a Queen and forgive her for all she had done. At least Morgana desperately hoped that this would be the case. Gwen was her closest friend and like a second sister to her, even after all that had happened she missed her maid terribly.

"Persuading Arthur to accept our rule is a good idea, whether it is under his will or not," Morgause admitted, "but we cannot forget that we gave him the curse that is killing him even as we speak, that will not make things easy for us."

Morgana almost flinched at these words. So far she had been able to distance herself from what they had done to Arthur, but now she realised what was truly happening. She wasn't killing an enemy, the son of a tyrant, she was giving one of her oldest and dearest friends a slow, painful death. "After all we have done to Arthur, I think it is only fair that we allow him to die in his own bed, not out in the wilderness," she said, her voice suddenly small.

"And I fear there is danger in bringing the others back, we do not know how powerful Merlin is and his female companion is a stranger to us," Morgause pointed out.

"We give them all a second chance, but if they refuse it, they will pay for their betrayal." Morgana said, her voice now firm but cold, like stone.

There was a pause as Morgause thought through these words. Then she smiled and took Morgana's hands, "I am blessed to have such a wise sister, kind even to her enemies. I only wish I could be like you. I will do as you wish, I will go back and find your old companions and I shall bring them back to the castle so they are given a second chance, and it will be up to them to accept it or throw it away."

Morgana smiled, grateful and slightly relieved that her sister had agreed to her idea. But she noticed something in Morgause's words, "I cannot come with you?" She said, a little disappointed, after all, this was her idea and she wanted to help.

But Morgause shook her head, "You are injured sister and now Cenred has failed us we need someone to remain behind to take care of the Kingdom. You make a fine Queen and you have done so well so far. Leave this last task for me while you keep Camelot safe from the rebels."

Morgana nodded in understanding. After all, they couldn't leave the Kingdom without someone sitting on the throne, and with the dull, persistent pain in her shoulder she would probably be useless if anyone refused to return to Camelot with them and fight back. She trusted Morgause.

"I will leave in an hour and return as soon as I can," Morgause assured her.

Morgana smiled again, feeling so happy that she had such a caring and loving sister like Morgause. If she had seen into Morgause's mind however, she might have thought differently.

After they discussed ways to disperse the peasants and the positioning of their army while Morgana ruled alone, Morgause used magic once again to leave the safe walls of Camelot and return to the valley where they had last seen Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Freya. Morgana wished her luck, hoping that her old friends would come quietly and they would be able to return to the castle once more. She felt that if this happened, everything would solve itself.

However, Morgause had no intention of bring back Morgana's companions. Unlike her sister she was not willing to give them a second chance. Morgause did not want their enemies to return to the castle, even if one of them was near death. There was always a chance that they could persuade Morgana to turn against her and they had worked so hard to take the throne they couldn't afford the risk. Morgause knew the news of her friends' deaths would be upsetting for Morgana, she had sounded so hopeful at giving them a second chance but there was no room in her plan for mercy. She didn't want to hurt her sister but she had no choice, in this game there are no second chances and their enemies would never accept their rule. She would have to tell her sister that they put up a fight, or that she never found them, or that they chose to remain as outcasts. Morgana would mourn for her friends, but Morgause would be there to comfort her through it all.

Whatever Morgause had to say to Morgana, she was determined that the Prince and his friends would never return to Camelot alive.